[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT

  (Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), chairman of the Committee on 
Resources, for bringing out today and through this House H.R. 938, 
legislation that establishes the Upper Housatonic Valley National 
Heritage Area and designates a number of other National Heritage Areas 
as well.
  This program of National Heritage Areas is really a wonderful 
program. The 29 towns that encompass the Upper Housatonic Valley have 
worked together, their first selectmen, their historic societies, and a 
very large group of volunteers to inventory the historic, the economic, 
and the environmental assets of this area. And truly, in my district as 
in the others, they are unique areas, uniquely important historically 
and uniquely endowed environmentally.
  By having a structure within which they could work together with the 
technical experts from the Federal level, they have developed a 
knowledge that enables them to plan and will enable them to strengthen 
the economy through thoughtful tourism programs. Truly this is a 
partnership between the Federal Government and very small local 
governments that will bless every life in the Upper Housatonic Valley 
and the other Heritage Areas throughout the country.

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